


Catching Fireflies

by ideallyqualia



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Universe, Comedy, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Slow Build, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-12
Updated: 2015-08-12
Packaged: 2018-04-14 08:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4556919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideallyqualia/pseuds/ideallyqualia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yaku has amazing luck. He just doesn't know if it's good or bad luck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catching Fireflies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [momotori](https://archiveofourown.org/users/momotori/gifts).



> happy (late) birthday to my favorite shitposter-blanktweeter, vivi
> 
> i know nothing about volleyball or soulmate aus.
> 
> inspired by vivi's old tweet from the shindanmaker thing: "YakuLev: soulmate au where you can’t lie to your soulmate."

Finding soulmates, keeping them, knowing what it was even like, Yaku had no idea. It was usually explained poorly to him, like it was too abstract to put into words. That was probably what love was like anyway, but Yaku didn't like the vague open-endedness of it. There wasn't even a clear sign of being a soulmate to someone, there weren't marks to color coming to life, and music didn't play. Bizarre, almost normal, but no one could deny that soulmates existed. 

Yaku spent two years of high school being unsure. There wasn't anyone he could be completely honest with, or anyone he thought he shared feelings with. Telepathy, sympathy, empathy, he couldn't remember which one it was.

"It looks like our team is full for the year, now," Kuroo said, looking over the gym, mock pride tethering his hands to his hips to be captain-like. "All the first year applications are in, so this is it." 

"Yeah, this is it," Yaku said, mouth twisted a little. Volleyball was important too, but once in a while when he met someone new, he thought about the ridiculous soulmate thing again. It was a popular topic in high school, which meant it became more annoying to hear and think about. And also uncomfortable, glancing over someone right when they met usually meant one thing, and Yaku found it irritating enough that he didn't try to guess if someone was his. 

Yaku walked up to the first years. They all got along fine with each other and the rest of the team. Even from far away, Yaku could tell that Inuoka was energetic. He ran after the ball with single-minded intent, ignoring other people unless they joined him. In the middle of practice he fetched volleyballs cheerfully, chasing them as soon as someone hit it out of bounds. A rare and almost useless thing to like doing, but at least during practice they automatically had someone to get the volleyball.

Yaku glanced up at Lev. He was amazingly tall, and when he bent at the waist or lunged forward in a stretch, his arms and legs looked even longer than when he stood straight, impossibly long. Lev looked serious, like his determined concentration in running and stretching. His height was promising, too. 

Yaku approached him. "You're a first year?" 

Lev turned to him and grinned. "Yep!"

Yamamoto slipped to Yaku's side, snorting under his breath. "Lev, why don't you try to receive a ball again?"

"But I thought you said--"

"Just try again." Yamamoto turned and called out to Inuoka, and Inuoka jogged up to them with a ball already in his hands.

"Need something?" Inuoka asked. 

"No, just the ball." Yamamoto tugged it out of his hands and motioned at Lev to get some distance for a receive. Lev perked up and took off, already in position after a few long strides.

The ball arched up in the air, rising and falling right to Lev's hands. Lev brought his hands together early, clasping them in an awkward self-handshake. The ball lobbed above his wrist, and it bounced to the side. Lev made a strangled noise of surprise and pain, wrenching his hands away and rubbing at his arms. It was such a horrible display that Yaku swore he felt his arms throb just imagining the pain.

"…That was the worst receive I've ever seen," Yaku said. Yamamoto burst out laughing. 

Lev raised his hand. "I hit it that time!" 

Yamamoto wiped at his eye. "He looks proud, it was so bad and he's proud. God." 

Kuroo clapped a hand on Lev's shoulder. "He just started playing volleyball this week." 

" _This_  week?" Yaku's eyebrows drew tighter together, and he brought his hand to the side of his face to scratch as he frowned. "He doesn't know anything about volleyball at all?" 

Kuroo continued to pat Lev's shoulder. "He really wanted to join the club."

"He's a first year. There's plenty of time for him to learn. He just won't be a starting member," Kai said. 

Nekoma didn't really turn anyone away from joining, and anyone who joined had to earn a spot on the team to play in official matches anyway, but still. Yaku was sure that Kuroo and Kai let him join out of something like pity. Now that Lev was talking and moving around, face expressive, he had a pitiable kind of earnestness that just made Yamamoto laugh more. 

"He better work hard," Yaku said.

"I will!" Lev bent around Yaku to look at him. Yaku turned and walked away to pick up a water bottle. 

This was the first practice, but since this was the first time that everyone met each other as a team, it always turned into a casual practice where no one expected to get anything done. They talked and practiced whatever they wanted.

As the libero, Yaku didn't bother spiking in practice. He went with receiving alongside Kuroo and Shibayama, chatting and not trying very hard to focus. He was sure Kenma was setting for their spikers, especially Yamamoto since he was the ace.

Kuroo messed up his receive and sent it flying straight up, flying past his head. Yaku couldn't tell what sound came out of Kuroo's mouth, it was too short and clipped to be recognizable, but after Kuroo missed the ball and brought his hand to his mouth, Yaku realized Kuroo was laughing. His shoulders were shaking, and he couldn't keep his eyes completely open.

"They're trying to show Lev how to spike," Kuroo gasped out, and he pointed.

"Aren't you the captain? You shouldn't be laughing, captain," Yaku said. He yanked on Kuroo's wrist, enough to make him snap back. It took all of Yaku's willpower to not glance back at the spikers, especially when Shibayama turned red in the face trying to stay quiet himself.

Yaku could hear Lev whine and yell, the ball falling with softer thuds than if a spiker actually hit it. Kenma's setting wasn't powerful, although it could still be fast if Kenma wanted.

"Just don't look," Yaku told Kuroo.

 

* * *

 

Lev was spectacularly bad at spiking. So much time passed since Yaku first began volleyball that he couldn't remember what it was like seeing spikers miss sets with this frequency. Lev flapped his arm through the net trying to hit the ball, and the look of sincere intent in his eyes made it worse since he was genuinely trying hard.

"He rarely hits the toss," Yaku said. "You're the ace, Yamamoto. Shouldn't you be helping him?"

That got Kuroo's attention. Kuroo turned to Yamamoto and tilted his head. "Yeah, he's right. You're the ace. This is your job."

"Since when? I'm not even the vice captain. Make Kai do it."

Kuroo shifted on his feet, his weight balancing to one foot to sway close enough to bring an arm around Yamamoto's shoulders. "You're the ace, Yamamoto. You're the best at spiking points. You have to earn the title."

"I already _have_ it. Get off me."

Yaku crossed his arms and watched Lev and Inuoka talk. They were on a practice break, so thankfully no one was wasting tine right now. Inuoka was a great spiker, from what Yaku saw. He wasn't as precise as Kuroo or Yamamoto, but he was still a first year. Compared to Inuoka, Lev was the one who looked hopeless.

After a few minutes, Yamamoto gave in and let Kuroo appoint him to help Lev.

"Yamamoto brought up his own point, though. You should teach Lev how to do receives. You're the best on the team," Kuroo said.

Yaku's whole face twisted in a grimace, one cheek puffing, eyes lidded lowly and dully at Yamamoto. "Thanks a lot," he said in a flat tone.

 

* * *

 

Yaku had no idea how well it was going with Yamamoto. He didn't care that much, or at least he didn't care as much as he would have if he didn't have to teach Lev. 

"Receiving hurts," Lev said. He rubbed at his arms over the reddened skin. 

Again, Yaku felt a prickle of pain in his own arms. Receiving shouldn't have hurt this much, but Yaku guessed that it was a fluke today.

"You get used to it. And it hurts less if you get better at it. Especially when it doesn't hit you in the face." Yaku handed him a volleyball, pushing it into his chest.

Lev grunted from it, but he wrapped his hands around it before Yaku could pull away and let it drop.

Yaku brought his hands together, raising his arms to demonstrate, one more time, how to receive.

"Alright, look at my hands, Lev. Look at where my arms are."

Lev wasn't enthusiastic about receive practice. Ordinary practice with the team ended for the day, and Lev and Yaku stayed behind to concentrate on just receives. Repeating the same exercises over and over made Lev wilt more and more, and seeing him drag himself just to practice while complaining got on Yaku's nerves.

"This is so boring," Lev said, drooping his head.

"Watch it. I'm libero. This is all I can do on the court." Yaku gritted his teeth. "I can't believe I thought you'd be a good spiker."

"I can spike!" Lev motioned for the ball.

"I'm not going to toss it for you to spike. Come on."

Yaku pressed his hand into his forehead for a moment, waiting for Lev to settle back down and grumble reluctantly for another receive. The past few practices had gone like this, and while Lev made some improvement, it wasn't that noticeable. Yaku only noticed because he was adept at receives and picking out the details between people doing them. Yaku wanted to know how much he could guess that someone could handle a receive on their own, how much he could rely on someone when he wasn't on the court or when he wasn't going to make it. If Yaku knew someone developed their skill, then he could sit out comfortably.

Lev wiped an arm across his forehead. "I'm getting tired, can I--"

Yaku waved at the floor. "Yeah, go ahead, sit. We're done here anyway."

Lev folded his legs underneath himself and sat. His arms and legs flopped down, long and everywhere in a mess. His knees bent to either side. He swallowed around air until he opened his water bottle and drank. 

"I don't get it," Yaku said. He sighed. "You had great stamina in practice earlier."

"So much practice…" Lev leaned forward over his legs. "Receive practice is even harder than the normal kind."

"I guess to you it is." Yaku picked up his own water from the floor and took a gulp to cool his throat.

Lev rolled over to lie on the floor. Yaku didn't think he worked Lev  _that_ much, and he even did everything with Lev so he worked just as hard.

Yaku tapped his foot. "Get up. I have to lock the gym. I don't want to do it with you still inside."

Lev refused to move at first. Yaku grabbed his wrists and managed to drag him a little bit, and by then Lev came around and got up. He trudged out and leaned against the wall as he watched Yaku lock the door.

"Go home, Lev," Yaku said afterward. He tucked the keys into his pocket and turned, walking by Lev. "You can't just sleep here."

Lev drifted after him and mumbled wordlessly. He leaned over and dropped an arm on Yaku's shoulder, grumbling again with the movement. Yaku shrugged him off.

"Walk on your own. We don't live near each other, anyway. You can't lean on me the whole way home."

"Fine." Lev slinked away to his own distanced and yawned.

"Why do you want to play volleyball?" Yaku asked. "You don't know anything about it. It sounds like there's nothing for you to appreciate if you don't know anything."

Lev straightened and rolled his shoulder, swinging his arm in a lazy spiking motion. "Spiking is cool! Have you ever seen a spike?"

"I've been playing volleyball for over five years now. I didn't play blindfolded. I saw every spike."

"I mean a  _spike_." Lev brought his arm up and swung it again, slower this time.

"I don't know what you're saying. That's barely Japanese."

Lev continued in more useless gestures and mumbles, so Yaku sighed and ignored him.

"My house is this way," Yaku said after a few more minutes. "Go sleep. For a long time. You sound like you need it."

Lev waved at him, his arm bending above his head and flapping. Yaku turned the corner and split from him. The day was finally over, and now at the next practice. Yamamoto would be stuck with Lev.

 

* * *

 

Yamamoto dropped a hand on Lev's shoulder. "This kid has a weird spike." 

Yaku paused in walking by and tucked his volleyball to the side. He didn't doubt that Lev had an utterly bizarre spike. Lev's arms bent in the air with odd angles when he waved, so any movement that needed his whole arm was probably going to be unusual and rough.

Yamamoto yanked the ball from Yaku and handed it to Kenma. "Set for Lev." Yamamoto turned to Yaku and whispered, "Just watch. It's wild."

Kenma didn't say anything. He quietly walked onto the court near the net, and Lev perked up and followed. Kenma tossed the ball up in the air smoothly, the ideal arch for a spiker to run up and hit down. Lev's arm swung in his jump, but it twisted and came in a curve instead of a harsh angle in his elbow. It looked whip-like, like the power came from the motion of his whole arm up to his shoulder.

"Is that even allowed?" Yaku asked.

"Yeah. It's not like he used both hands or something else ridiculous," Yamamoto said.

"Something else, ridiculous," Yaku said haltingly.

"I mean  _more_ ridiculous."

Lev took their conversation and subsequent silence for awe. He was beaming, throwing a fist into the air and dragging his feet on the floor as he moved around, shoes squeaking.

Kuroo clapped his hands together. "Alright, that's enough," he said. "We have to have real practice now."

"He still doesn't sound very captain-like," Yamamoto muttered.

"Al _right_ , Yamamoto. Just get on the court." Kuroo jerked his head toward the court. 

In that isolated moment earlier, Lev's spike was fantastic. Lev had only one thing to concentrate on, so there wasn't much he  _could_ mess up. The problem now was that Lev had to navigate the court with a bunch of other people, dodging them and going to the net in the hope of being tossed a ball to spike.

"Lev, you're way too obvious and hopeful. Kenma isn't going to toss to you every time." Kuroo pointed behind him and made Lev return to his place.

At the very least, Lev didn't try to spike tosses that were clearly for other people. During blocking practice he was fine; his height gave him a natural advantage and he could react slower and still make the block on time. 

"Let's see how you spike against real blockers," Kuroo said. "Inuoka and Yamamoto, it's your turn to block at the net. Don't let Lev get a point in."

Yaku sometimes hung around the spiker to try practicing block follow ups, but this time he hung back and watched silently, standing next to Fukunaga.

Kenma set to the side, intentionally trying to throw the blockers off. They still caught up to Lev as he went into his jump, and their hands rose in a flat wall, fingers spread. Inuoka wasn't as skilled in blocking as Yamamoto, but he reacted alongside him well, he just didn't have as coordinated a block.

Lev's arm swung in its whip-arch again, his hand slamming the ball. The spike hit Inuoka's hand more than it did Yamamoto's, and while that made it easier, Yaku doubted that it was on purpose.

Lev spiked through, the momentum of the ball driving Inuoka's hand back. The ball bounced on the floor on the other side, and Lev whooped and cheered right after.

"He tore through the blockers like they weren't there," Shibayama said quietly.

"No, it was a fluke." Yamamoto grabbed Inuoka's wrist and held it up. "Lev went for the weakest blocker."

"I'm weak?"

"You're a first year. You're automatically weaker," Yamamoto said. "No hard feelings." 

Inuoka wriggled his hand away, and Yaku snorted as the two argued with Lev.

"Lev, just try again," Yaku said. "You three are just wasting time."

"So there won't be any confusion,  _I'll_ block with Yamamoto," Kuroo said.

Inuoka looked lost, hands hovering in the air as he stepped aside to make room for Kuroo. Shibayama waved him over, and Inuoka walked off the court to join Yaku, Shibayama, Fukunaga, and Kai.

"That looks unfair," Shibayama murmured.

Kenma was unaffected by the argument. He waited for all three to give the okay before setting. Lev went into a whip spike again, but he tried too early and missed. He fumbled from surprise and he slipped forward onto the net, his arm hanging over it.

"Uh, one more time, Lev," Kuroo said.

Shibayama and Inuoka were laughing on the sideline. Fukunaga raised and lowered his arm in a slow spike, elbow in the same soft-edged crook and arch. Kai elbowed him.

"Stop making fun of him, Fukunaga."

In the next toss, the ball connected with Lev's palm. Yaku didn't know that much about spiking without the experience, but that spike looked powerful, and he swore that his hand hit the ball at a slightly different angle than a normal spike. Lev's face was shadowed by the intensity of his concentration, quiet and determined like the way Yaku saw him when they first met.

The ball knocked Yamamoto's hand back, enough to complete the spike for a point. He was in the right place at the right time for the block, so there was no doubt that it was a dead-on block.

Yamamoto shook his hand and wrist in the air. "Man, that really ripped through. Too bad you rarely ever do it right."

"He's still horrible at everything else," Yaku said.

Lev didn't hear--or care--what Yaku and Yamamoto were saying. He was laughing open-mouthed, the kind of laughter that had nothing to do with humor but just plain happiness and pride. The direct emotion  clear on his face stirred up a beat of pride in Yaku, even though Yaku didn't do anything. It was pride, as if Yaku was feeling it for himself and not vicariously for someone else.

"That's enough. Shouldn't we hurry up and move on?" Yaku asked.

"We should. Lev and Inuoka, switch for blocking," Kuroo said. He gestured around the court to direct them into place. "Shibayama, you try spiking."

Kuroo didn't tell Yaku anything, but Yaku shrugged to himself and decided to join Kenma's side for block follow ups.

 

* * *

 

Golden week was coming, but without significant progress in his own abilities, Lev couldn't participate. Lev deflated and fell against Kuroo's shoulder at the news, moping and shaking Kuroo's arm. Kuroo told him right after the coach announced a scheduled practice match against Karasuno at the end of golden week, so Lev was struck from both pieces of info. 

"Poor Lev." Inuoka stepped up to Lev and patted his back after Kuroo shrugged Lev off.

"Without a lot of practice, the experience would just be useless, Lev," Yaku said. "You're still learning what the different spikes are."

"There's going to be other times where you can go, don't worry," Kuroo reassured Lev. "Anyway, Yaku doesn't know what the spikes are either."

"Will Karasuno be there then?" Lev asked. "I want to see them."

Yaku turned and elbowed Yamamoto. "This is your fault. You told him about the battle of the trash heap stuff and got him excited."

Yamamoto stumbled on his feet from the impact. "Guh. He asked!" 

"He looks sad and… Well,  _sad_ , I can practically feel it just looking at him." Yaku motioned at Lev.

Lev wasn't that upset, but he wallowed and half-heartedly walked around the gym after the announcements. They said it after practice, and now it was Yaku's turn for private practice with Lev. 

"We're never going to get anything done like this," Yaku said. "Just take today off, Lev."

Lev's head shot up. "Really?"

"Yeah. Go." Yaku gestured in the other direction.

He tried to walk out the gym door, but he saw a shadow on the floor follow him, and he knew Lev was behind him. He sighed and glanced back.

"What?" Yaku asked.

Lev tilted his head, leaning forward to look at him. Yaku noticed the bend in Lev's knees to lower himself, and Yaku's mouth pressed together.

"It's not late enough for ice cream," Lev said.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Lev trailed after him onto the sidewalk, mumbling and ducking to keep his head above Yaku's shoulder height, and that confirmed that Lev wasn't kidding.

"Yamamoto bought me ice cream once," Lev said.

"I didn't think he was a pushover…"

Yaku kept trying to walk, and Lev continued in his footsteps, maintaining the pace easier than Yaku. After a few minutes of Lev hassling him for ice cream, coming up with mismatched reasons to buy some for him, Yaku realized that Yamamoto wasn't a pushover; Lev was just a diligent harasser. Misplaced diligence that was wasted on something like this instead of receive practice, but Yaku couldn't do anything about that.

"Aren't senpai supposed to do this? Buy food for their kouhai?" Lev asked.

"Yeah. For kouhai they like."

A small questioning noise hummed from Lev. "What does that mean? You don't like me?"

Yaku's mouth opened. He tried to say  _no I don't_ , but nothing came out. He wasn't thirsty, his throat wasn't dry, and he didn't lose his voice, but he felt like he was going to choke. The sentence felt far away, like another language.

Lev jostled his arm. "You stopped walking."

Yaku wiped his arm across his mouth, anything to erase the experience of whatever that was.

"If it'll keep you happy, fine," Yaku said. "And no more being excused from receive practice. Today's the only exception."

Lev grinned and shook his arm again, thanking him in advance.  

He dragged Yaku to a nearby ice cream parlor. Lev took several minutes pacing back and forth, trying to decide what to eat. Yaku was drawing his hand to his wallet in his backpack to pay, but he hesitated and let his arm slump.

His mind ran through a bunch of small thoughts; Lev didn't have any money, Lev was going to pick chocolate, Lev had math homework to do. Yaku thought it was just idle imagination, but Lev then pointed and asked for chocolate, and the server scooped it into a cone and handed it to him.

Lev turned to give Yaku a wide expectant look. "Aren't you getting anything?" 

"Don't ask me like it's your treat," Yaku said. 

Yaku chose vanilla anyway. He paid for both and licked down the sides of his as it melted, grimacing from the trickles of vanilla making his hand sticky. 

"Thanks, Yaku!" It came out a muffled hum from licking his chocolate, but Yaku could tell that he was happy.

Lev wanted to stay and sit to eat, but Yaku saw no point. They were just going to sit and stare at each other when they had nothing to talk about, which was definitely going to happen witb Lev and a mouth full of food.

Their walk passed in some silence, although Lev was a noisy eater and he kept asking Yaku about golden week.

"I'll tell you everything after it happens. I can't do anything about it now." Yaku motioned at the street corner. "I'm going home now, Lev."

"Fine," Lev grumbled. He bit into the last part of his food, the bottom of the ice cream cone, and he finished it off and threw away the napkin in a passing trash can.

Yaku stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket and walked away.

 

* * *

  

The first few days of golden week blurred together. It was full of practices and exercises, over and over, most of them unremarkable but still helpful in conditioning and gaining experience. Yaku wasn't going to give up and let his ability decay because he got tired or bored. 

Most of the teams lost against Nekoma. They weren't memorable matches. Everyone from Nekoma had their minds on Karasuno, and even Kenma showed a little interest.

"Lev would be climbing the walls if _Kenma_ is looking forward to this," Kuroo said.

"Are you feeling alright, Kenma?" Shibayama asked. He was sitting on his knees on the bed next to Kenma's, and he leaned over to poke his shoulder. Kenma waved him away. 

"Yamamoto, what did you do?" Yaku picked up his vibrating phone. He didn't know the number, but he assumed it was Lev's from the message content, asking about Karasuno and other teams. The messages were filled with typoes, and some of the kanji were unevenly spaced out.

"He wanted to know everything about the practice matches. I got tired of talking to him so I gave him your number," Yamamoto said.

"Just say _no._ No!" 

Yaku pushed his phone in Yamamoto's face. Shibayama snorted into his hand.

After a few minutes Lev ended up calling. Yaku only answered once, just one text to tell him that the Karasuno match hadn't happened yet, and that was apparently permission to call. 

"Have you seen them? Have you met Karasuno yet?"

"Lev, don't you have anything better to do?"

"Nope!"

Yaku frowned. That was surprisingly honest. Lev was always honest, but there were times when he expected Lev to not be, and he still blurted stuff out anyway. Yaku thought Lev would be clumsy and tactless with his sincerity, clumsy like his arm coordination with receives. 

"Really, we haven't seen them at all." Yaku hung up after fielding some of his questions, but he had to turn his phone off when Lev kept texting him.

Yaku rubbed at his arms. "I feel really agitated right now."

"It's probably from Lev," Kuroo said. 

Yaku grimaced and sunk into his bed, listening to Yamamoto yell a vague threat out the window at Karasuno.

 

* * *

 

Karasuno never won against them, but Yaku could tell that they had potential. Hinata and Kageyama's quick definitely had potential.

The point of training camps and practice matches was to grow and explore potential, so no one from Nekoma minded helping Karasuno discover how to refine their star quicks. Nekoma had their own discoveries with handling quicks and spikes. There was something prickling Yaku's mind now that he saw amazingly fast quicks, something about Nekoma.

On the train ride back to Tokyo, Yaku nudged Kuroo aside to sit with Kenma. Kuroo eyed him.

"You never sit with Kenma."

"I want to talk with him a little," Yaku said.

Kuroo just looked at Yaku for a couple seconds, eyebrow raised, but he shrugged and stepped away.

"Sure."

Kenma's hands were clasped in his lap, watching them both silently. His eyes followed Yaku as he took a seat. 

After Kuroo left to find his own seat, Yaku slid back in his. The train was preparing to leave the station, and people outside were walking away from the windows after saying their goodbyes. Everyone on the train was sitting by now, pulling out phones or getting ready to sleep. 

"Have you ever thought about Lev as a spiker?" Yaku asked. 

"What do you mean? Is he a good one?" 

"No. I mean, Hinata's inept in his own way." Yaku scratched at his neck, shifting from his growing consciousness of the topic. Talking about Lev was probably unexpected to Kenma. Kenma didn't show any surprise, but he could hide his thoughts well.

"Shouyou?"

"Hinata has a lot of potential as a spiker, especially with a setter to enable him." Yaku tapped his fingers together, mouth hesitating as Kenma looked at him. "Lev's spike makes me think of that." 

"It doesn't to me. Lev is worse than Shouyou."

"Neither of them can receive, I know. But I mean, Lev's weird spike doesn't need a specific setter for him to do it. He just has to get used to a setter and to spiking, right?"

Kenma shrugged. He usually wasn't complacent and vague with his gestures, especially with this kind of indecisiveness, but succinct gestures were better than talking for him.

"I barely know Lev." Kenma's eyes flicked over Yaku. "You're a libero, and you're showing a lot of interest in spiking."

"I train him all the time. He never shuts up about spiking."

Kenma's eyes slid around, quietly dismissive. "Right."

Yaku frowned until the softly critical look left Kenma's face.

"So what do you think then, Kenma. Can you bring out Lev's best the way Kageyama does for Hinata?"

"I'm not Kageyama." Kenma's hand pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket.

"I didn't mean 'lose your humanity,' Kenma." Yaku let out a long sigh, and he watched Kenma's interest fade to a video game on his phone.

 

* * *

 

No matter how many times Yaku corrected Lev on his hands, arms, and feet with receives, nothing could actually happen without large amounts of practice. Yaku had to keep reminding him what to do if he was doing it wrong. Yaku couldn't tolerate Lev's horrible posture. 

"This is so boring... So tired." Lev wiped at his forehead. "I've done it a thousand times already. Why keep doing it?"

"It's called muscle memory. Keep doing it, and eventually your body will start doing it automatically."

Lev's mouth flickered in a grimace. "So how long will it take?"

Yaku picked up a ball. "A long, long time." He thought about saying something else, but the sentence crumbled again, and he couldn't say what he originally wanted.

Lev groaned, but Yaku still convinced him to do a lap of flying falls. Yaku knew it would be impossible to get Lev to do it alone, so he joined Lev and followed next to him. Lev was naturally faster, and Yaku struggled to keep up. He didn't have the energy to grumble, but he was muttering in his thoughts. 

After one lap, Lev collapsed on the floor. "No more."

"That didn't even last long." Yaku sat down next to him to catch his breath. He knew he wasn't tired, but he felt a brief wave of vague fatigue.

"I'm dying."

Yaku picked up his water bottle to drink. Lev looked up to see him drink. He lowered his head, and it fell with a thump. 

"I'm dead."

"Which is it?" 

"I died and came back to life as a dying person."

Yaku shook his arm. "Cut it out. Negativity just makes it worse on yourself."

Lev moved his arms with a grunt to reach for his water. The bottle was in front of his head, so from the angle he had to bend his arms for it, it looked like he was flapping on the floor. Yaku sat cross-legged and watched Lev try to drink without sitting up. He spilled water on the floor.

"Now you're wasting it. Just get up." Yaku pushed Lev's shoulders. Lev didn't budge. 

"Minute." 

"Break's up."

"Another minute." 

Yaku paused again, and Lev rolled over onto his back. His arms flopped with him. Lev finally sat up after Yaku tapped his feet, and he took another drink. 

"Alright, come on." Yaku picked up a volleyball and bounced it while waiting for Lev.

Lev climbed to his feet, drooping as he stood, but once he was at his full height he took off running. 

"What? Lev-- _Goddamnit,_ Lev!" Yaku huffed and broke into a run. 

Lev bolted straight out of the gym. Yaku knew he was going to head to the clubroom since their backpacks were there, so Yaku slid in front of the door and held the doorknob tight. When it twisted and didn't open, Lev pounded on the door from inside.

"Let me out!" 

"You're not done with practice!" Yaku added another hand to hold on. The door was shaking now, trembling and creaking and curving from the pressure. Yaku had no idea Lev was this strong. 

"What if I break the door?" 

"You can't." 

A loud thud slammed the door, and it almost bucked Yaku off. He pressed his side against the door for stability. 

"I'm going to try," Lev said. That was all it took for him to start really attacking the door.

Yaku became afraid that Lev was actually going to break the door, so he let go and tried to step aside.

He didn't move fast enough. Lev barreled into him, knocking him a few steps away. Yaku braked his feet on the floor to stop, and be ended up falling on his hands, crouched like an animal about to run. 

Yaku stood up and dusted himself. "Lev." 

"Sorry!"

"If you're sorry, then _why_ are you still running?"

Yaku chased after Lev, yelling and waving his arm. If Lev was so exhausted, then he shouldn't be able to actually escape. Yaku couldn't keep up with him, though. Lev's legs were long enough to grant him easy speed, and the distance between them eventually made Yaku stop. 

He pulled out his cell phone. Down the street, he saw Lev halt to rummage in his backpack for his phone, and he lifted it to his ear to answer. 

"Hello?"

Yaku covered the speaker to snort. "God, Lev." 

Lev remained on the phone as Yaku caught up to him. He flicked Lev in the arm.

"I'm dragging you back to practice."

 

* * *

 

Lev no longer needed Yamamoto's help. He was spiking well enough in practice, so for now Lev could survive on his own developing skill. It was his receives that he was still marginally improving. 

Kuroo rested his hand on Yaku's shoulder. 

"You're incredible, Yaku." 

Yaku alternated his weight to his other foot, the hand moving with his shoulders.

" _Someone_ has to do something. Lev would be useless on the court  And keeping him on the sideline forever would hold us back too. Lev has a spike that could weird people out." 

Kuroo pushed at Yaku's shoulder, and Yaku stumbled. He scowled up at Kuroo.

"'Weird people out'? What a way to put it." Kuroo dropped his hand. 

"Why can't you teach him once in a while?" Yaku asked. 

"You're better at receives than me." The too-contented curve to Kuroo's mouth told Yaku that the compliment was subordinate to his real goal. 

"You just don't want to teach Lev." 

"I'm a busy guy." 

"You're a terrible captain." 

Kuroo shrugged. "I know." 

Yaku didn't think he was a terrible captain, just terribly not captain-like, but Kuroo seemed to get it. 

Practice was over, so everyone was cleaning and putting supplies away. Lev had his backpack on, and he was fidgeting with something in his hands, walking up to Kuroo and Yaku with heavy steps.

"Something wrong, Lev?" Kuroo asked.

Lev's mouth worked open and closed, a choked noise escaping. He puffed a cheek, gave up, and handed Yaku a piece of candy from his hand.  

"Where'd you get this from?" Yaku asked.

Lev pointed at Shibayama. Shibayama's back was to them, and he was talking to Inuoka.

"First years all stick together, huh. Yaku, you haven't grown since then," Kuroo said, elbowing him.

Yaku jabbed him, a hard elbow to his side. Kuroo rubbed at it and swatted Yaku. 

"Shibayama's sensible enough to not eat before practice, at least," Yaku said.

Lev nodded, mouth still closed. Yaku bit at the piece of chocolate, intent on eating right in front of Kuroo to spite him. 

Kuroo turned to Lev, hand curling above Lev's. "Can I have some?"

Lev jerked his arms away. "I don't have enough for you," he said, while looking right at Kuroo. 

"Lev, are you going to eat all of that _yourself_ , then?" Kuroo asked.

Lev started to stuff a couple in his mouth. Yaku's hand came to Lev's arm. 

"You don't have to prove anything, Lev." 

After Lev walked away, Kuroo tilted his head to Yaku. "You drag him to receive practice and still get candy, and I get nothing?" 

"I'm not going to explain that one," Yaku said. 

Kuroo crossed his arms, squinting at Lev talking with Inuoka and Shibayama. "It's strange, how he couldn't tell you when he got the candy."

Yaku shrugged. "So?" 

"People can't lie to their soulmates," Kuroo said seriously. A few seconds later he burst out laughing. Yaku didn't have time to react to his seriousness. 

"That's not funny."

"Not only is it funny, it's true." Kuroo lifted his hand and tapped his fingers together in the air, fitting Yaku's between them like he was comparing heights.

Yaku swatted his hand. "Stop it."

"Let me just point something out here. Have you ever been able to lie to him?"

"Hnn."

Kuroo dipped his head down slightly, as if weighed by the gravity of false wisdom. "So he's your soulmate… You're pretty lucky. You didn't even have to try finding him." 

"Kuroo, it's not luck."

"Bumping into him out of nowhere… What are the odds of that?"

"Kuroo."

"It's like catching a firefly with your bare hand, Yaku." Kuroo lifted his hand and pretended to catch one with a delicate gesture.

Yaku brushed past him, forcefully, skidding his shoulder against Kuroo's with deliberate momentum. He kept in mind that he had to make fun of Kuroo later for being a closet bug enthusiast.

It was true that soulmates couldn't lie to each other. Yaku didn't know what it felt like to try, and he never asked anyone, but it was definitely true. Nothing about soulmates really felt relevant or necessary, so Yaku always naturally escaped talk and gossip about it. Sometimes Yaku forgot about it altogether. Without a definite or visible sign, it was hard to talk about it with others and recognize a soulmate.

Yaku walked home silently, mulling it over to the mental cadence of Kuroo laughing with only half the amusement of his usual laughter. Half of it was serious.

 

* * *

 

Yaku tried lying to Lev. His throat choked up and clamped, words fizzling out and escaping his memory. Yaku went blank every time, and Lev blinked at him and crouched from his knees to look at him. Yaku gave up trying to lie then. 

"Yaku-san, is something wrong?" Lev asked.

Yaku pushed at his face to nudge him away, gritting his teeth to fight a bubble of a different emotion.

"Just get ready for practice, Lev."

Lev frowned and headed to the other first years, joining them in stretching their arms across their chests. Fukunaga stood next to them on one leg, his arms folded into wings as he flapped them.

Kuroo slid in beside Yaku, following his sight to Lev.

"You know, there's another way to tell if he's your soulmate."

"He's not." 

Kuroo smiled. "You can lie to me as much as you'd like."

Yaku fixed his eyes up at Kuroo dully. "What is it, then?"

"I have to warn you, it's painful."

"I don't care."

Kuroo lifted his foot and brought it down on Yaku's foot, a heavy stomp that made Yaku snap his foot up. His leg folded for him to hold his foot.

At the same time, Lev shouted.

Yaku couldn't bring himself to criticize Kuroo, even as Kuroo laughed behind his hand and his foot throbbed. Lev was clutching his foot with a confused glance around, mouth twisted and eyes slanted at the sides like he was personally hurt and lost.

"Lev has no idea what happened," Kuroo said, almost gasping. 

" _This_ was your idea?! Kuroo, don't. Don't ever do that again, even if I agree."

 

* * *

 

Yaku was aware of it now, the bumps of emotion that weren't his own feelings. Lev happy or upset, Lev excited and hitching Yaku's heartbeat when they weren't even in the same room, or Lev lonely and tired; Yaku felt it all. When Lev was sleepy in the middle of the day and trying to stay awake, Yaku felt his own eyelids droop, peripheral lethargy slowing his arms and making him want to fold them on his desk and sleep.

Yaku was sure that Lev went through the same experience. Yaku didn't know what it was like for Lev, but he imagined what Lev was doing, trying to make sense of emotions that weren't his. When Yaku was tired and his arms were sore, he wondered if Lev felt it. 

Yaku wanted to shove hie face into the ground. This explained everything, every time he couldn't lie to Lev, or when he felt a warm coil of pride from Lev after Lev spiked against a blocker. Yaku still couldn't explain what the knowledge of that meant to him.

Yaku looked down at Lev sitting on the floor, leaning back on his hands and resting from receive practice. Yaku could sense how tired he was now, and Lev didn't want to practice anymore.

Yaku stepped over to him. "You worked hard today. Let's stop here." 

Lev lifted his head. "Really?"

A small burst of relief sparked in Yaku's chest, and he knew that was Lev, Lev already relaxing and unwinding from practice. 

"You're tired," Yaku said. "No point in continuing." 

Lev wiped at his forehead and lifted the top of his shirt to clean his neck. Yaku saw a flash of his stomach and turned away, frowning to himself.

"I'll go home. Are you locking the gym?"

"Sure," Yaku said. He dusted himself off, seconds later realizing he had no reason to do it.

Lev left by himself, waving at Yaku and smiling but dragging his feet and lazily swinging his arm in its wave. 

Yaku drew his lip in his mouth. He was actually tired today, so the extra weight of Lev's fatigue made him unable to care about Lev leaving him alone to lock up. He just watched Lev walk away. Whenever Lev waved or reached to his toes or just stretched, it looked impossible, like his body was inexplicable and tall. Lev's clumsy grace and easy bends to his legs and back reminded Yaku of his agility and his whip spike.

Yaku leaned against the now-locked door. Lev was gone, but Yaku still felt warm.

 

* * *

 

Lev stepped up to Yaku after one team practice, Kenma's arm gripped in his hand. Kenma's feet were heavy in their reluctance, but he was still tugged along, steps staggered and toes pointed into the ground. 

"Kenma's tossing to me more," Lev said. "Because of you, right?"

Kenma's eyebrows furrowed. 

"I did tell him to, but go easy on him. Kenma doesn't like extra work." 

Lev shook Kenma's arm a few times. "Got it!" 

"You should let him go now," Yaku said. Right after, Kenma pulled free and stepped away, ducking to be by hinself and pick up his water bottle. 

Lev looked back at Yaku. "Why did you tell him to toss to me?"

Yaku's shoulders and mouth tightened. He couldn't lie. 

"I told him. Because, I thought you, your spike could." Yaku's throat kept cutting off his sentences since he was still trying to lie. Lev's eyes fixed on his face with a silent question. 

"What?" 

Yaku averted his head, and he let out a huff. "I saw a spiker from Karasuno that reminded me of you. That's it."

Lev hovered over Yaku, arm pushing on his shoulder and holding it. "What was he like? He's a spiker? Ace?"

"He was short and crappy. But he was fast and jumped high. I just thought if Kenma..." Yaku trailed off. Lev was staring at him, disappointed and narrowing his eyes slightly. 

"He was the one we had to defend against the most, but if you don't want to let me finish, then..." 

Lev grabbed him with both hands on his shoulders. "No, I'll listen!" 

"Right." 

"I will!" 

Lev's hands curled in, eyes wide on Yaku, and Yaku had to wrench his hands off. 

"You'll probably see him for yourself the next time we have a training camp," Yaku said.

That was the wrong thing to say. Lev squeezed him, and his pukse of excitement squeezed Yaku from the inside too.

Lev forgot that he even asked about a short spiker. He asked about a next time, when the next training camp will be and if everyone will go. Originally Lev wanted to go and meet Karasuno, but now they were two separate things for Lev to want and focus on, being at camp and meeting other teams.

"Lev, the next training camp is far away. Just concentrate on practicing for now."

 

* * *

 

Spending practices alone with Lev couldn't last the same innocent way. Lev was clumsier than usual, receiving like he had no experience when he first joined. The difference was that Lev had an embarrassed awareness of something, wincing apologetically and walking with his shoulders tight.

Yaku felt the nervous energy clear and bright. Lev couldn't hide anything. 

Yaku stepped on a volleyball instead of picking it up. "Why are you so off today?"

"Off? I'm on." Lev nodded to himself.

"You're horrible today." Yaku motioned at Lev. "Just take a short break for now."

Lev sat down, wide eyes set on Yaku. His hands were in loose fists, bumping together above his legs. He was tapping a foot on the floor too, and he looked like a mess of legs and arms trying to curl up, knees folding to his chest. 

"Lev, there's no way you can hide stuff like this from me."

"Hide what? And why not?"

Yaku didn't know what to tell him. Lev  _had_ to know by now, even if soulmates and emotional telepathy was indefinite, vague, amorphous and up in the air. It was only between them, so the solidity of it for them was all that mattered, but Lev was also dense.

"What do you know about soulmates? What do you know about yours?" Yaku asked, voice deliberate and serious.

Lev pointed at himself. "I. I'm I think," he said, but he stopped.

"You're trying to lie."

Lev's mouth pinched in a frown, but nothing came out. He couldn't deny it. It was actually possible to get around that if you could leave out the traitorous details, but neither of them could do that.

Yaku wanted to laugh, laugh in resignation and just give in. Lev had a sinking burn in his stomach, and Yaku felt it. Lev could probably tell, too, if he paid attention.

"I know you're my soulmate. It's really, really obvious," Yaku said. He couldn't put it off any longer.

Lev sat there with his legs straightened on the floor now, hands flattened between them. He was leaning on them like he was stretching his legs, back bending with the movement.

"I am?" Lev asked.

"Pretending to act like you don't know isn't a lie, but that's still terrible, Lev."

Yaku thought saying it out loud would force Lev to accept it so they could move on with practice, but now Lev was fidgeting and bristling. He had no defense, and it was clearly mutual, and Lev still tried to refuse.

"I know why you're embarrassed. I can feel it, you know."

Lev turned to the side and mumbled. Lev wasn't saying or doing anything, but the detached rush of air to Yaku's lungs and sensitive crackle of a pulse in his ear, detached like the numbness of a sleeping leg, was echoing in Yaku's body. The twitchiness reminded him that it was coming from Lev.

Yaku dragged a hand down his face. "I think practice is ruined now."

"M'okay." Lev got to his feet, walking to the door at a glacier speed that let Yaku clean up and join him. 

"Let's go home," Yaku said. "We practice enough, anyway."

Lev perked up. "'Let's'?"

"You know what I mean."

They walked together quietly, Lev at a casual pace and Yaku walking briskly. Having something like this between them was going to be chaotic, Yaku thought. Lev was already honest, and he rarely lied to people. And being tied to the buzzing energy of Lev already made Yaku itch.

At the street corner where they usually separated, Lev hesitated.

"Goodnight?"

Yaku sighed. "Yeah, goodnight, Lev."

"That's not what I meant," Lev huffed.

He bent at the knees to lower himself to Yaku's height, and the intent blurred into Yaku. Yaku knew exactly what he was trying to do.

"Lev, no!"

"Why not?"

"Not  _here!_ "

Yaku's hand was squashed into Lev's face, pressing against his cheek and muffling his mouth. 

Lev pulled away. "You're embarrassed!"

_No_ died in his mouth. "Lev, stop talking."

Lev laughed instead, arms going around his stomach and head bowing to laugh at the floor. Yaku couldn't take that. He grabbed Lev's shirt collar with this chance, Lev already at a lower height, and Yaku kissed him.

Yaku just meant for it to shut him up and prove something, but his mouth was alive now, burning between both of their emotions equally, and Yaku had to step back. Lev covered his mouth with his hands.

"Good, good _night,_  Lev," Yaku said. He rubbed at his wrists. "Go home."

Lev looked sheepish, but he waved back and grinned.

**Author's Note:**

> (General A/N that exists at the end of all my fics): I find unsolicited concrit really rude, I'm not looking for any. Please don't tell me someone was OOC/something happened you didn't like/it's too short/etc. in any bookmarks or comments.


End file.
